John (Bill) William Keener, 86, of John Day, died Sept. 19, 2009, at his home. A memorial service and Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Bible Way Community Church in John Day. A reception will follow at the John Day Senior Center. Mr. Keener was born April 15, 1923, in Franklin, N.C., to James Ulric and Fannie Clementine (Williams) Keener, the fifth of six children. When he was 12, he left home and went to work on poultry farms in Springfield, Mass. He also spent time picking peaches in Georgia. In the fall of 1946, he moved to Spray with Alex Adams. He worked for M & R (Tommy Ross) Logging, which was the first time he ever drove a logging truck. He married Pearl with whom he had a cafe in Spray for a year. They divorced in 1967.

In 1949, he began working for San Juan Lumber Company, which later became Hudspeth. He drove truck for many years and then ran the machine to unload logs, feed the mill pond and deck logs. He worked there for 28 years. In 1978, he bought his own self-loader log truck and worked for all the area mills. On April 22, 1972, he married Barbara L. (Wheeler) Gienger in Winnemucca, Nev. They made their home in John Day. He retired in 1988. Not having any hobbies to speak of, he began cutting firewood. Before long, he had about 15 cords stacked up which lasted quite a few years.

The Keeners also managed Riverside Mobile Home Park for 40 years. He attended Bible Way Community Church and was baptized on Sept. 6, 2003. He was a hard worker who like to help others. He enjoyed seeing his grandkids, watching TV, taking drives and his recliner.

Survivors include his wife, Barb; three daughters, Brenda Lynn (Tim) Smith of Bend, Joanie Eileen Tussing of John Day and Denise (Kip) Jackson of Vancouver, Wash.; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Mary Nation of North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother and three sisters. Memorial contributions may be made to Blue Mountain Hospice or Bible Way Community Church through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.